Chang, Feng, Wu

Vicissitudes of last week touching the affairs of that perennial trio of Chinese War Lords, Chang, Feng and Wu:

Chang. Super-Tuchun Chang Tso-lin, "War Lord of Manchuria," summoned his chief henchmen to Mukden early in the week, and caused them to adopt a resolution declaring that the three Manchurian provinces (Shenpking, Holung-kiang and Kirin) no longer recognize the authority of the so-called "Government of China" at Peking.

Since Chang is anti-Bolshevik and pro-Japanese, Moscow editors fulminated, although the Soviet Government recently succeeded in making Chang kotow toward it, to the extent of releasing from arrest (TIME, Feb. 1) M. Ivanoff, the Soviet manager of the Chinese Eastern Railway.

Feng. Super-Tuchun Feng Yu-hsiang, "the Christian War Lord who protects Peking," was reported to be sending a large army down from his base at Kalgan, to discipline again the rebellious General Li (TIME, Jan. 4) in Chihli Province.

Meanwhile a letter was received anent a significant adventure which befell Mr. Felix Morley, able correspondent of the Baltimore Sun. Mr. Morley described how he had seen a big U. S.-built locomotive, "camouflaged and armored," come steaming into the little station of Ching Lung Chiao in lieu of the regular train to Peking and miraculously almost on time. "Instead of the nondescript trucks and decrepit coaches of the ordinary Chinese 'accommodation,' there was in tow just one caboose-like vehicle, labeled in clear English a ' wrecking car.' And equally in accord with China as she is today were two dirty and smallpox-pitted soldiers of Super-Tuchun Feng lolling in the single doorway."

Mr. Morley ventured into the caboose and had his first-class ticket punched by "a scared-looking little conductor, whose costume started off well with a braided cap and ended rather pitifully in shabby carpet slippers." He then glimpsed "an efficient, snappy-looking officer" of Marshal Feng's army seated on a bench in a special compartment, and was called in when the officer needed a corkscrew. Thereafter they sat toping and smoking for some time, although "of course [Mr. Morley was] not unfamiliar with the tradition that the soldiers of the 'Christian General' neither smoke nor drink."

The officer, one General Chang [not Chang Tso-lin], replied to an insinuation that China is ruining herself by civil wars: "I think your American Revolution was a sort of civil war, wasn't it? But you don't criticise Washington now for ruining his country."

Later Correspondent Morley saw the same caboose, with Feng himself inside, "going through to Peking at the top speed possible nowadays on a Chinese railroad . . . about 17 miles an hour."

Wu. Super-Tuchun Wu Pei-fu, "War Lord of Central China," busied himself with besieging one of Feng's armies at Hsinyanchow last week. Dr. Nils D. Nelson of St. Paul, Minn., the resident missionary Bishop, was "accidentally shot by Wu's troops."